System and method for peer referencing in an online computer system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for connecting healthcare providers via an online portal to allow the providers to generate a network of peers for facilitating the providing and obtaining of peer references. A rules engine applies rules and logic to aggregated credentials and relationship data of the registered providers to identify users of the system who are qualified to provide a peer referral for a particular provider. A peer in a provider&#39;s network may provide a peer reference needed by the provider to access certain medical privileges. The peer reference data may be provided as answers to a structured questionnaire. The answers may then be used to automatically populate a specific peer referral form.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/302,050, filed Feb. 5, 2010, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550 (attorney docket M887:66826), filed on even date herewith, and to U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,682, the content of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an online computer system that allows healthcare providers to connect via an online portal, and more particularly, to a peer network portal that allows healthcare providers to generate a network of peers for facilitating the obtaining of peer references.

BACKGROUND

One problem in the current healthcare industry is the ability of a provider to readily find other providers who are qualified to provide peer references. When a healthcare organization appoints an individual to the medical staff or grants initial clinical privileges, the common regulation from the Joint Commission requires that all information about the applicant be available and verified before any action can be taken. Among others, peer references are part of the more critical information to be requested and verified.

Healthcare peer referencing differs from typical reference checking in other industries. Peer references are reviewed according to very rigorous standards, and thus, not all providers are qualified to provide references. For example, the joint commission generally requires hospitals to follow these standards for acceptable peer references: an applicant's peers need to provide specific information on medical responsibilities, character, training, competence, and health status as they affect performance. The scope of peer references varies depending on the type of provider and level of clinical privileges to be granted. Many organizations provide the peer with a privileging list that is used to grant an applicant's privileges. Peers are asked to comment on the applicant's ability to perform the tasks listed on the privileging list. One of the goals of this strict process is to keep the reference less subjective and biased.

A peer is typically defined as someone from the same discipline with essentially equal qualifications. In order to be able to provide a reference, the peer must generally be familiar with the individual's actual performance in that discipline. For instance, in an allied health provider credentialing process, a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, psychologist, or social worker ideally should have another individual from the same discipline to be the peer, and the organization should attempt to obtain such references. This could be someone within the same organization or someone from outside the organization.

In situations where there is no nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, psychologist, or social worker who can provide a peer reference, it is generally acceptable for a physician or D.O. with essentially equal qualifications, who is familiar with the allied health practitioner's performance, to provide the reference. For example, an internist could provide a reference for a physician assistant; an anesthesiologist could provide a reference for a nurse anesthetist; a psychiatrist could provide a reference for a psychologist; and a psychologist with similar responsibilities could provide a reference for a social worker.

Due to these complicated rules and criteria, as well as the current state of manual process for contacting and collecting peer references, many organizations are spending vast amount of time and resources to meet regulatory standards before clinical privileges can be granted.

In recent years, Internet, email and electronic messaging technologies have been widely adopted to transmit information among users. Social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have connected hundreds of millions people to share common interests and activities. However, nothing has been done to address specific nature and needs of peer referencing in the provider credentialing field. Thus, there is a need for an electronic system that receives an maintains information about peer providers so that those providers can be readily identified based on qualifying criteria, and so that communication with the qualifying peer providers can be easily facilitated. There is also a need for a qualifying peer provider to efficiently provide a peer reference upon request.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a computer apparatus and a method for generating a network of peers for obtaining peer references. The computer apparatus includes a data storage device, a processor, and a memory that is operably coupled to the processor and that stores program instructions therein. The processor is operable to execute the program instructions. The program instructions include receiving profile information for a particular healthcare provider, storing the profile information in the data storage device, and automatically identifying one or more other healthcare providers who are qualified to provide a peer referral for the particular healthcare provider. The automatically identifying of the other healthcare providers includes automatically comparing the profile information of the particular healthcare provider with profile information of other healthcare providers in the data storage device for determining whether one or more qualification criteria have been satisfied. The program instructions further entail including the identified healthcare providers in a peer network for the particular healthcare provider for transmitting a request for peer referral to one or more of the identified healthcare providers.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the program instructions further include transmitting an invitation to the identified healthcare providers to join the peer network for the particular healthcare provider.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the request for peer referral includes a link to a peer referral input form.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the program instructions further include receiving peer referral information entered in the peer referral input form; and storing the peer referral information in the data storage device. Fields of the peer referral input form may be mapped to objects of a common object model. In that case, the program instructions for storing the peer referral information includes program instructions for populating the objects of the common object model with the peer referral information.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the program instructions further include identifying a peer referral form; and automatically populating fields of the peer referral form based on the peer referral information stored in the common object model.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the program instructions further include maintaining a list of the identified healthcare providers; and updating the list in response to a monitored event.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the monitored event is change of profile information of the particular healthcare provider or the other healthcare providers.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood when considered with respect to the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. Of course, the actual scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for peer referencing according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of a process for building a peer network for a particular user according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen for searching for peers to invite for joining a user's peer network according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen listing peers that are available for inviting into a user's peer network according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot of an invitation message for inviting peers to join a user's network according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a virtual peer identification decision tree according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a process for obtaining a peer reference from a qualified peer according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a more detailed process flow diagram of a step for generating a form with automatically populated peer reference data according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen displaying a universal peer reference form according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen shot of a references page listing various peers for whom peer references have been received according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

During the process of applying to practice in or be affiliated with an institution, such as, for example, a healthcare institution, practitioners are often asked to provide qualified peer references as part of the application. In the healthcare field, a peer generally refers to a healthcare professional practicing in the same area of specialization as the provider.

Peer references are also often required when a healthcare organization appoints an individual to the medical staff or grants initial clinical privileges to the individual. The process of identifying peers that meet all regulatory and compliance standards as well as reaching out to these peers to verify detailed information is very cumbersome and time consuming. Strict processes and regulations also generally need to be met for the selection of peers that are qualified to provide healthcare peer references that may be accepted as valid. Prior art systems do not provide a mechanism for one provider to take advantage of loosely constructed social networks to automate the peer referencing process in a manner that satisfies those strict processes and regulations. However, if an individual can register with an online system, for example, by providing professional and personal data, and/or other selected criteria common to a significant numbers of the users, the user can be linked to a plurality of other such individuals who may be qualified to provide online peer references.

In general terms, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system and method for connecting healthcare providers via an online portal to allow the providers to generate a network of peers for facilitating the providing and obtaining of peer references. The online portal provides a user interface, such as, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI), that displays and allows searching of peers who are qualified to provide peer references, and facilitates interaction among such peers. The user interface also facilitates the obtaining of training, work history, specialty and other credentials data for use in determining, for example, qualification of the users for providing peer reference to other users.

A rules engine applies rules and logic to aggregated credentials and relationship data of the registered providers to identify users of the system who are qualified to provide a peer referral for a particular provider. A peer in a provider's network may provide a peer reference needed by the provider to access certain medical privileges. The peer reference data may be provided as answers to a structured questionnaire. The answers may then be used to automatically populate a specific peer referral form.

According to one embodiment, the system includes a database for storing the credentials and relationship data of the healthcare providers of the system. According to one embodiment, the rules engine aggregates and maps the data to create a virtual professional relationship network with clear structure of qualified versus unqualified peers. For example, a qualified peer for a particular provider may be defined as someone who knew the provider in the last three to five years in a professional setting, and such a relationship may be depicted in the provider's relationship network.

According to one embodiment, users may invite peers to join the system and become a peer to the inviting user. Invitations may be sent, for example, by e-mail, fax, or any other electronic communications medium conventional in the art. The invited peer may accept the invitation, in which case he or she becomes a user of the system as a peer of the inviting user. The new user is then prompted to provide credential data, relationship data, and other types of data for determining his or her qualifications for providing a peer reference.

According to one embodiment of the invention, peers in the system further have the ability to provide information about one another regarding professional qualifications, competencies, and the like. In order for a peer to provide a reference for another provider, for example, the pre-qualified peer might fill-in a structured questionnaire about the provider's clinical competency and the like.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for peer referencing according to one embodiment of the invention. The system includes one or more remote healthcare provider devices 102 a-102 n, healthcare entity devices 104, and information sources 106 (collectively referred to as remote devices), coupled to one or more servers 100 over a data communications network 110. The communication network 110 may be a network or combination of networks spanning any geographical area, such as a local area network, wide area network, regional network, national network, and/or global network. The Internet is an example of a current global computer network. In addition, the communication network may be a hardwire network, wireless network, or a combination of hardwire and wireless networks.

Hardwire networks may include, for example, fiber optic lines, cable lines, ISDN lines, copper lines, and the like. Wireless networks may include, for example, cellular systems, personal communications service (PCS) systems, satellite communication systems, packet radio systems, and mobile broadband systems. A cellular system may use, for example, code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), personal digital phone (PDC), Global System Mobile (GSM), or frequency division multiple access (FDMA), among others.

Each of the remote devices may be any processor controlled device that permits access to the communication network 110, including terminal devices, such as personal computers, workstations, servers, clients, mini-computers, main-frame computers, laptop computers, a network of individual computers, mobile computers, palm-top computers, hand-held computers, set top boxes for a television, other types of web enabled televisions, interactive kiosks, personal digital assistants, interactive or web enabled wireless communications devices, mobile web browsers, or a combination thereof.

In this regard, the remote devices include a processor, memory, and one or more input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touch pad, joystick, pen input pad, and the like. The remote devices may also include an output device, such as a display screen and audio output. The memory included in each remote device stores computer program instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform certain actions mandated by the computer program instructions. Such computer program instructions may also be stored in a disk, CD, flash drive, or other non-transient computer readable media.

The server 100 is a data processing apparatus with one or more processors and memory storing computer program instructions for adapting the computer to generate a network of peers for obtaining peer references. The server 100 may be similar to the server described in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,682. The server 100 may be hosted by a particular healthcare entity such as, for example, an insurance company, hospital, surgical center, or the like. According to one embodiment, the server may be configured to provide the electronic credentials verification and management functionalities described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,682. The server 100 may also be configured to map various healthcare administrative forms, referral forms, and the like, to a common object model, and automatically populate those forms based on data provided by a qualified peer, healthcare provider, or other information source, as is described in the above-referenced U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the server 100 is accessed by users who register with the server and who can then connect with other users to form a network of peers. The server is configured to automatically determine whether a peer in the user's network, or another user who has not yet been identified as a peer for a particular user, is qualified to provide a peer reference for the user. The server may then be configured to transmit a request to provide a peer reference for the particular user upon command by the user.

In this regard, the server 100 includes a rules engine 100 a, online portal 100 b, and a forms engine 100 c. According to one embodiment, the online portal 100 b provides a graphical user interface for registering with the server, building a peer network, submitting forms to various healthcare entities, requesting peer references from qualified peers, and the like. The rules engine 100 a is configured to apply rules and logic to aggregated credentials and relationship data of the registered healthcare providers to create a virtual professional relationship network for each provider. The forms engine 100 c generates forms with fields automatically populated based on data associated with a particular provider for submitting to the provider, different healthcare entities, and the like. For example, the forms engine 100 c may be invoked to automatically populate a peer referral form for an individual based on information provided by a peer referral source for then submitting to a requesting healthcare entity. According to one embodiment, the forms engine may include a mapping engine for mapping fields of different referral forms to a common object model, and a runtime engine for automatically populating fields of the referral forms based on data stored in the common object model. The mapping and runtime engines are discussed in further detail in the above-referenced U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550.

The engines 100 a, 110 c and portal 100 b may be implemented as software modules that are executed by a processor in the server based on computer program instructions stored in memory. Each of the engines and portal may implemented as a separate software module, or one or more of the engines or portal may be combined into a single module or further divided into one more sub-modules as may be appreciated by a person of skill in the art. A person of skill in the art should recognize that the modules may also be implemented in hardware, firmware (e.g. ASIC), or a combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a user device 112 may be coupled to the server 100 via a communications link 114. The user device 112 may be similar to any of the remote devices described above. The communications link 114 may be a direct wire, an infrared data port, a wireless communications link, global communications link such as the Internet, or any other communications medium known in the art. The user device 112 allows an administrator to access the server 100 for performing management functions such as, for example, updating rules accessed by the rules engine 100 a, updating forms accessed by the forms engine 100 c, and/or performing other administrative and maintenance tasks.

The data storage device 108 may be any hard disk drive or drive array which hosts a number of purpose-built databases and files useful for implementation of the system 10. For example, the data storage device may take the form of a hard disk or disk array, storing a provider's profile, work history, credentialing information, networking database with information on the provider's peer network, healthcare forms, peer referral forms and questionnaires, healthcare and information of other entities associated with the system. Any electronic healthcare form may be mapped and stored in the data storage device.

According to one embodiment, the data storage device 108 hosts a networking database with relationship information for the registered users of the system. In this regard, each provider provides his or her professional background and credentialing information via the online portal 100 b, and the information is used to construct a comprehensive database of providers as well as update the networking database with relationship information. The information and defined relationships in the networking database can then be utilized by users and systems to guide the selection of peers and the acceptance of qualified references.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each provider accesses the online portal 100 b to register with the server 100. In this regard, the provider is prompted to provide information on his professional background, work history, credentials, and the like, all of which is then stored in one or more databases of the data storage device 108, such as for example, a credentials database and/or networking database. According to one embodiment of the invention, the information is provided by the user by filling out a universal online form provided by the online portal 100 b. The information is then used to populate a common object model as described in the above-referenced U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550. The provider may also access the online portal 100 b to create and maintain his profile and credentialing data for verification, forms generation, and the like. The server may query one or more information sources 106 to verify the information provided by the user, as is further described in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,682.

Once registered with the server 100, but before or after having provided all of the provider's background or credentials information, each provider may access the online portal 100 b to build his or her peer network of providers. According to one embodiment, the peer network includes a list of users who are enrolled/registered with the server 100, whom have been deemed to be qualified to provide peer references for the provider, and with whom connections have been formed for viewing and exchanging information that may not be available to users who are outside of the provider's peer network.

In building a peer network, the provider accesses the networking database via the online portal 100 b to find, invite and connect to other providers. For example, the provider may search for other providers enrolled/registered with the server 100, and view the public profiles of such providers for determining whether to add them to his or her network. Qualified peers may also be recommended to the provider based on information in the networking database. The online portal 100 b may include a messaging engine which may be invoked by the user to send invitations to other providers to join his/her network.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a peer in a provider's network may provide a peer reference needed by the provider to access certain medical privileges or to qualify to perform certain medical procedures. Due to the rigorous criteria that need to be met in order for a peer reference to be acceptable, it is desirable to identify those peers in the network that meet those standards prior to requesting a peer reference from them. For example, a peer may be deemed to be qualified to provide a peer reference to a provider for a particular privilege if the peer is in the same specialty as the provider, has worked in the same facility, shares the same privilege, and can comment on the skills of the practitioner. Additional or other criteria may also be considered by the rules engine 100 a in determining whether a peer in an individual's peer network is qualified for providing a peer referral.

In this regard, the rules engine 100 a accesses the network database to access information on peers in the individual's peer network. According to one embodiment of the invention, the rules engine automatically processes the information of peers in the peer network against one or more rules for automatically identifying qualifying peers for peer referencing. The server then transmits requests for peer referencing to the identified peers over the data communications network. In response to the request, the identified peers may submit a peer reference in a paper-based or electronic format. According to one embodiment, the server may access the forms engine 100 c to retrieve and transmit dynamic peer reference questionnaires and/or forms that tailor to each type of provider and privilege being pursued. As networked users grow in size exponentially, identifying qualified peers and requesting them to go through structured peer referencing questionnaires to meet specific peer referencing standards may be substantially more straight forward than compared to existing processes.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the peer providing the reference or the provider requesting the reference may access the online portal 100 b and select an online reference form to be automatically populate based on responses to questionnaire questions by the peer reference. The generating and populating of the fields of the form may be carried out as is discussed in the above-referenced U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550. The auto-populated form may then be downloaded to the peer, the provider, and/or submitted directly to a healthcare entity requesting the peer reference.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the rules engine 100 a may also be invoked to identify users who are enrolled in the system who would qualify to provide a peer reference to a particular individual, but who are not yet part of the individual's peer network. Once identified, the rules engine 100 a may suggest that the individual be added to the individual's peer network. The individual may act upon the suggestion and send an invitation to the identified users to join his or her peer network, before requesting a peer referral from those users.

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of a process for building a peer network for a particular user according to one embodiment of the invention. The process may be described in terms of a software routine executed by the processor in the server 100 based on instructions stored in the server's memory. The instructions may also be stored in other non-transient computer readable media such as, for example, a disk, CD, flash drive, or the like. A person of skill in the art should also recognize that the routine may be executed via hardware, firmware (e.g. via an ASIC), or in any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Furthermore, the sequence of steps of the process is not fixed, but can be altered into any desired sequence as recognized by a person of skill in the art.

The process starts, and in step 200, the user accesses the online portal 100 b to provide or update his information, such as, for example, his background and credentials information. In this regard, the user may navigate to an application page provided by the online portal and enter the information prompted by the page. If the information is to be updated, the user may retrieve his or her user record for display instead of the application page.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the online application is a universal application which is mapped to a common object model. As the user provides his or her information, the data may be used to populate the objects of the common object model.

In step 202, the online portal 100 b builds or updates a user profile for the inputting user. In this regard, the online portal 100 b generates or updates a user record with credentials and relationship data for storing in a credentials database of the data storage device.

In step 204, the rules engine 100 a is invoked for employing a set of rules and logic for constructing or updating the user's virtual professional network. In this regard, the rules engine 100 a may traverse a virtual peer identification decision tree to identify the relationship of the user with other users of the system, and determine whether a qualification criteria has been satisfied. As a result of traversing the decision tree, the rules engine 100 a identifies a user being evaluated as a qualified peer or not. According alternative embodiments, the rules engine 100 a may be configured to assign a score to each other user reflecting the extent of the qualifications of the peer to provide peer referencing.

In step 206, the rules engine 100 a constructs the virtual professional network based upon evaluation of the various registered users of the system and their relationship to the particular user. The virtual professional network may be as simple as a list of the users of the system who have been identified as qualified peers, and an association of that list to the particular user. Such information may be maintained in the relationship database. The virtual professional network may also be depicted visually as a network graph showing connections between the particular user and all other users who are deemed to be qualified peers to the particular user. As a person of skill in the art will appreciate, the virtual professional network is dynamic and constantly evolving as other users enroll with the server and as information on the users are updated. The update of the virtual professional network may require execution of steps 204 and 206 from time to time (e.g. based on a pre-defined schedule or on a random basis), or in response to particular monitored events, such as, for example an update to a criteria being monitored in any user's profile, in response to a user command to display an updated list of qualified peers, a change of rules for determining qualifications of a peer, or the like. The update may include adding or deleting users to the virtual professional network. For example, a user deemed to be a qualified peer for providing a peer recommendation at one point in time may be deleted as such at some other point in time.

In step 208, the online portal 100 b identifies a recommended peer list based on the user's virtual professional network, and displays the list via a graphical user interface. According to one embodiment, the display of the recommended peer list is pushed to the user without the user manually requesting the recommendations. The user may also make a manual request for qualified peers whenever a peer referral is needed.

In step 210, the online portal 100 b receives a selection of a recommended peer, and in step 212, transmits an invitation to the selected peer for joining the user's peer network. A determination is made in step 214 as to whether the peer has accepted the invitation. If the answer is YES, the online portal adds the peer to the user's peer network in step 216. In this regard, the user's profile may be updated to include information on the accepting peer as being a member of the user's peer network. Information on the user's peer network may also be maintained separately in the network database.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen for searching for peers to invite for joining a user's peer network according to one embodiment of the invention. A user may search for different types of users registered with the server. For example, the user may conduct a search based on name, email, interests, specialty, practice location, and the like. Upon entry of such a search request, the online portal 100 b conducts a search of the user's virtual professional network by accessing data stored in the relationship database, and retrieves a list of qualified peers matching the search criteria.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen listing peers that are available for inviting into a user's peer network according to one embodiment of the invention. According to one embodiment, the resulting peers are peers who are in the user's virtual professional network who are deemed to be qualified to provide a peer reference to the user. According to one embodiment, if a user is enrolled in the system but is not deemed to be a qualified peer, such information may be displayed to the user conducting the search. Alternatively, both qualifying and non-qualifying peers may be listed as potential peers for inviting to join a user's network. In either case, the user may send an invitation message to join his or her peer network upon selection of an invite option 400.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot of an invitation message for inviting peers to join a user's network according to one embodiment of the invention. The user manually enters into box 410 emails of the peers he or she wants to invite, or such information may be automatically inserted by the server based on user selection of the invite option 400 for a specific user. The inviting user may provide an optional message in box 412, and transmit the invitation upon actuating a send button 414.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a virtual peer identification decision tree according to one embodiment of the invention. The decision tree is invoked by the rules engine 100 a in step 202 of FIG. 2 to construct a particular individual's virtual professional network. The decision tree is traversed by the rules engine for evaluating various factors/criteria of the tree that are used to determine whether the registered users of the system are qualified to provide a peer reference for the particular individual. The qualification criteria that may be evaluated include, but are not limited to, a competency criteria 600, discipline/area of specialization criteria 602, qualification criteria 604, work history criteria 606, acquaintance criteria 608, and the like.

According to one embodiment, the rules engine retrieves from the data storage device a user record with the profile information for each user, and compares the data stored for the user for determining whether all (or in some embodiments, a portion) of the qualification criteria have been satisfied. For example, in evaluating the competency criteria 600, the rules engine may determine based on profile data retrieved for the user and the individual, whether the user was a trainer, supervisor, or proctor for the individual. In order to make this evaluation, the user's profile may include a competency field which may include information of different people whom the user has trained or supervised, a department or group for which the user was in charge, or the like. The competency leg of the evaluation may be deemed to have been satisfied if the user was a trainer or supervisor for the particular individual.

In considering the discipline/area of specialization criteria 602, the rules engine 100 a may determine whether the user's discipline or area of specification is same or similar to the particular individual's discipline or area of specialization. In order to make a determination as to whether one discipline/area of specialization is similar to another, the rules engine may examine a table that includes, for each discipline/area of specialization, a list of other disciplines and areas of specializations that are deemed to be similar. If the discipline or area of specification is deemed to be the same or similar, the discipline/area of specification criteria may be deemed to have been satisfied.

In considering the qualification criteria 604, the rules engine may determine whether the user's qualifications they are equal or higher to the particular individual's qualifications in order to determine that the qualification criteria has been satisfied. The user's work history 606 may also be evaluated to determine whether the user worked in the same institution as the individual. If so, the work history criteria may be deemed to have been satisfied. In addition, the acquaintance criteria 608 may be evaluated for determining whether the user and individual are familiar to each another in the professional field. For example, if the user and individual have appeared together in a same professional conference, were co-authors of a publication, or are listed as being members to a same organization or charter, the acquaintance criteria may be deemed to be satisfied for the particular user being evaluated. In this regard, the rules engine 100 a may compare the papers, organizations, charters, and the like, listed by the user and the individual, for any overlaps.

The satisfying of each qualification criteria of the decision tree causes the rules engine 100 a to proceed to an analysis of a next qualification criteria. Otherwise, the rules engine 100 a stops the evaluation process and concludes that the user is not a qualified peer referral source. Affirmative answers to all the criteria being evaluated causes a conclusion that the user is a qualified peer 610. Alternatively, scores may be assigned to each leg of the evaluation and a determination of whether a user is a qualified peer or not may depend on whether an overall score assigned to the user satisfies a minimum threshold score. The score may also be weighted based on how important the particular data being analyzed is in order to judge the user's competency as a peer reference.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a process for obtaining a peer reference from a qualified peer according to one embodiment of the invention. The process may be described in terms of a software routine executed by the processor in the server 100 based on instructions stored in the server's memory. The instructions may also be stored in other non-transient computer readable media such as, for example, a disk, CD, flash drive, or the like. A person of skill in the art should also recognize that the routine may be executed via hardware, firmware (e.g. via an ASIC), or in any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Furthermore, the sequence of steps of the process is not fixed, but can be altered into any desired sequence as recognized by a person of skill in the art.

The process starts, and in step 700, the online portal 100 b transmits a request to a qualified peer to provide a peer reference for a particular provider. In this regard, the online portal 100 b may display an updated list of qualified peers for the particular provider, and the user may select a peer from the list to whom he or she wishes to send a request for peer referral. According to one embodiment of the invention, the request may be an email message including a link to a peer referral input form which the selected peer is requested to fill out. Alternatively, the request or the form itself may be sent to the peer via email, fax, mail, or any other data communications medium conventional in the art.

In step 702, the online portal receives the peer reference answers from the peer. Upon receipt, the online portal may optionally be configured to submit the answers to the information sources 106 to verify that the information is accurate, as is discussed in further detail in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,682. Such information sources 106 may be social networking sites, information databases, or any other body of information conventional in the art. Any mechanism for identifying, accessing, and comparing the information may be utilized as will be apparent to a person of skill in the art. The server 100 may be configured to transmit an alarm to the peer reference or any other entity identified by the server, upon an indication of discrepancy in the information being compared.

In step 703, the peer reference answers provided in the structured, universal online form is stored in the data storage device 108. According to one embodiment, the storing in the data storage device 108 populates objects of a common object model for retrieval when populating specific healthcare referral forms provided by different healthcare entities.

In step 704 a determination is made as to whether a specific referral form is to be generated based on the provided peer referral. If a form is to be automatically generated, the online portal invokes the forms engine 100 c to identify the appropriate form to generate in step 706. The identification may be based on manual selection of the form by the user. The form may also be automatically identified by the forms engine 100 c based on an indication by the user as to the ultimate recipient of the peer referral.

After the form to be generated has been identified, the forms engine 100 c, in step 708, proceeds to pre-populate the selected form based on the peer reference answers from the peer.

In step 710, the online portal 100 b provides the peer reference information (which could be either the pre-populated form or simply the peer reference answers as submitted by the peer in the universal format), to a recipient indicated by the user. Such recipient may be the user himself, in which case the form is downloaded to the provider device 102 over the data communications network 110, and stored locally at the provider device for emailing, printing, or displaying at the provider device. The form may also be transmitted to a healthcare entity 104 indicated by the user or to some other requesting party, over the data communications network 110.

The above-referenced U.S. application Ser. No. 13/022,550 provides a detailed description of step 708 for automatically populating a form based on answers provided in a universal format which have been mapped to a common object model. In order to effectuate such mapping, the forms engine 100 c includes a visual mapping tool that displays objects of the common object model as well as fields of the form to be mapped. A user drags and drops one or more of the displayed objects into a mapping area, and drags and drops a field to which the one or more objects are to be mapped. The user also identifies a type of association between the selected objects and the field. A mapping entry is then generated in a map file to map the selected objects to the field. Each completed mapping process produces a structured map file in XML or other standard format with detailed metadata that stores a reference to the specific form that was mapped. The map file and related metadata is then stored in the data storage device 108.

FIG. 8 is a more detailed process flow diagram of step 708 of generating a form with automatically populated peer reference data according to one embodiment of the invention.

In step 500, the forms engine 100 c uses the form ID corresponding to the selected referral form, and retrieves a corresponding map file from the mass storage device 108.

In step 502, the forms engine 100 c retrieves a stored association from the map file. In this regard, the association identifies the one or more object attributes or properties mapped to a particular field of the form, along with any transformation or aggregation functions that are to be performed for the association.

In step 504, the forms engine 100 c uses an instantiation of a data access layer and uses the layer components to retrieve data stored for the identified object attribute or property.

In step 506, the forms engine 100 c processes the retrieved data according to the retrieved association. In this regard, the forms engine 100 c identifies any conversion and/or aggregation rule indicated for the association, and invokes the appropriate algorithm(s) for processing the retrieved data according to the conversion and/or aggregation rule. The processing may be as simple as making a copy of the retrieved data for entering the data as-is into the corresponding form, such as, for example, if the aggregation is a direct mapping of the data. For other types of conversions and/or aggregations, the algorithm may require transformation, derivation, and/or concatenating of the data, as well as inserting spaces or text (e.g. hyphens, commas, semi-colons, etc.).

In step 508, the forms engine 100 c uses the processed data to automatically populate the corresponding form field.

In step 510, a determination is made as to whether there are any other associations in the map file that need to be processed for auto-populating the form. If the answer is YES, the forms engine 100 c returns to step 502 to process the other associations. Otherwise, if the answer is NO, the forms engine 100 c pulls, in step 512, a stored e-signature of the party providing the peer referral, as well as a date, and enters this information into corresponding fields of the form. The form is then ready to be displayed on the provider device 102 for review by the provider. The provider may review and make any needed updates to the pre-populated information, and/or manually enter information for any fields that have not been automatically pre-populated. The form is then ready to be downloaded to the provider, or to be submitted directly to a healthcare entity coupled to the server. In this regard, the web portal 100 b may provide a “download” option which causes transmitting a copy of the filled form for storing in a data store coupled to the provider device. The web portal 100 b may also provide a “submit” option which prompts the user to enter information of the entity (e.g. an email address) who is to receive a copy of the filled form.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen shot of a screen displaying a universal peer reference form according to one embodiment of the invention. According to one embodiment, the universal peer reference form may be accessed upon receipt of the request message from the requesting user. The particular form to be completed may be identified by a URL link included in the request. Selection of the link by the peer causes a display of the peer reference form as shown in FIG. 9. Alternatively, the peer may, with or without prompting, access the online portal 100 b and navigate to the peer reference page shown in FIG. 9.

According to one embodiment of the invention, instead of a peer completing a specific referral form which may vary from institution to institution, the peer completes the universal reference form, and the forms engine 100 c auto-completes the specific referral forms that may have to be submitted to one or more institutions. In this manner, the peer need not repeat data entry if multiple references need to be submitted to multiple institutions. In this regard, various fields 300-306 of the universal form are each mapped to an object of the common object model associated with the form. The objects of the common object model are in turn mapped to fields of specific referral forms maintained in the data storage device 108. The mapping data is then used to auto-.complete the specific referral forms for submitting to the appropriate recipients.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen shot of a references page listing various peers for whom peer references have been received according to one embodiment of the invention. A user who has requested and received peer references may access the references page via the online portal 100 b. The user may view all or a portion of information contained in the peer reference by selecting link 402. Basic information 404 about the peer providing the reference may also be retrieved from the peer's profile and displayed on the screen.

Although this invention has been described in certain specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will have no difficulty devising variations to the described embodiment which in no way depart from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, to those skilled in the various arts, the invention itself herein will suggest solutions to other tasks and adaptations for other applications. For example, although peer referencing is described in the context of healthcare peer referencing, a person of skill in the art should recognize that embodiments of the present invention applies to other disciplines that may require references to be submitted, such as, for example, for job applications, college admissions, and the like. It is the Applicant's intention to cover by claims all such uses of the invention and those changes and modifications which could be made to the embodiments of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present embodiments of the invention should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention to be indicated by the appended claims and their equivalents rather than the foregoing description. 

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a network of peers for obtaining peer references, the method comprising: receiving profile information for a particular healthcare provider; storing the profile information in a data storage device; automatically identifying, by a computer device, one or more other healthcare providers who are qualified to provide a peer referral for the particular healthcare provider, wherein the automatically identifying includes automatically comparing, by the computer device, the profile information of the particular healthcare provider with profile information of other healthcare providers in the data storage device for determining whether one or more qualification criteria have been satisfied; and including the identified healthcare providers in a peer network for the particular healthcare provider for transmitting a request for peer referral to one or more of the identified healthcare providers.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: transmitting an invitation to the identified healthcare providers to join the peer network for the particular healthcare provider.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for peer referral includes a link to a peer referral input form.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: receiving peer referral information entered in the peer referral input form; and storing the peer referral information in the data storage device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein fields of the peer referral input form are mapped to objects of a common object model, and the storing the peer referral information includes populating the objects of the common object model with the peer referral information.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising: identifying a peer referral form; automatically populating fields of the peer referral form based on the peer referral information stored in the common object model.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: maintaining a list of the identified healthcare providers; and updating the list in response to a monitored event.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the monitored event is change of profile information of the particular healthcare provider or the other healthcare providers.
 9. A data processing apparatus adapted for generating a network of peers for obtaining peer references, comprising: a data storage device; a processor; and a memory operably coupled to the processor and having program instructions stored therein, the processor being operable to execute the program instructions, the program instructions including: receiving profile information for a particular healthcare provider; storing the profile information in the data storage device; automatically identifying one or more other healthcare providers who are qualified to provide a peer referral for the particular healthcare provider, wherein the automatically identifying includes automatically comparing the profile information of the particular healthcare provider with profile information of other healthcare providers in the data storage device for determining whether one or more qualification criteria have been satisfied; and including the identified healthcare providers in a peer network for the particular healthcare provider for transmitting a request for peer referral to one or more of the identified healthcare providers.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the program instructions further include: transmitting an invitation to the identified healthcare providers to join the peer network for the particular healthcare provider.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the request for peer referral includes a link to a peer referral input form.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program instructions further include: receiving peer referral information entered in the peer referral input form; and storing the peer referral information in the data storage device.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein fields of the peer referral input form are mapped to objects of a common object model, and the program instructions for storing the peer referral information includes program instructions for populating the objects of the common object model with the peer referral information.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program instructions further include: identifying a peer referral form; and automatically populating fields of the peer referral form based on the peer referral information stored in the common object model.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the program instructions further include: maintaining a list of the identified healthcare providers; and updating the list in response to a monitored event.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the monitored event is change of profile information of the particular healthcare provider or the other healthcare providers. 